You Are Not Alone In This
by thestars-themoon
Summary: Ginny's POV of her and Harry's relationship.
1. The Quidditch Cup

Chapter 1: The Quidditch Cup

Ginny saw the Snitch, hovering before her like someone had placed it there, clear as day. Without thinking, without breathing, she raised her hand and dove, feeling it secure in her hand. As her fist clenched around the tiny golden ball, Harry's face flashed through her mind - he would be happy, it was too bad really that he didn't get to see Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup but there was to be a party later – and as she sank to the ground in a whooping, crying, hoarse knot of scarlet and gold, Ginny felt strangely less than whole, like something was missing.

The party in the common room was raucous as always, loud rock music playing with couples snogging in the corners and illicit Butterbeers and sweets lying on every surface. Time after time, she was hoisted on the shoulders of the team and extolled with 'Weasley is Our King', until people settled into the party atmosphere and attention turned to their missing Captain and Seeker, who couldn't be far off now.

And just as it was getting quiet – he walked in. The amount of sound that erupted from the Gryffindors would have shaken the walls of a lesser-built room. Harry scrambled into the room, and Ginny felt herself running at him, with the one thought that had been racing through her head since the beginning of the year coursing through her head at the speed of sound.

And, just as she moved towards him, he moved to her, and they collided in the middle of the Gryffindor common room, wrapped around each other, their lips crushed together in something that looked a hell of a lot like passion – or maybe just relief. Warmth spread through her like the sun, igniting her fingers and toes and they broke apart all too soon. It was silent all around them. Ron seemed to give Harry the smallest of nods and Harry turned towards her, grinning uncontrollably. They exited the common room arm-in-arm and left for what was looking like a long and lazy afternoon in the grounds in which they might find the tiniest bit of time to talk.


	2. That Golden Afternoon

Chapter 2: That Golden Afternoon

Out of the doors and into the grounds they walked, arms around each other, until they found a secluded place in a shady grove of trees near the shore of the lake, secluded on all sides except for a view of a lake and a small entrance. Harry turned her to face him and held her face in his hands for a few intense seconds, looking fiercely into her eyes. Then, just as she had expected, he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, pulling him to her as he moved a hand to hold her waist, the other running through her hair. Ginny sighed, thinking to herself that she could get used to this very quickly. She giggled against Harry's lips and he pulled away, grinning as well.

Hand in hand, they walked through the clearing to the edge of the lake and Harry sat on a patch of ground fairly near the edge of the water. He pulled off his navy pullover, further tousling his dark hair and revealing a simple white t-shirt underneath that did not entirely conceal his well-sculpted torso, and Ginny did the same. She walked over to where he was sitting and placed herself rather closer to him than usual, only to have him laugh and pull her even closer, so that they were pressed against each other in a way that was not the slightest bit unpleasant. She kissed him yet again, slow and sweet.

Harry lay back on the ground, and she did the same, doing what came naturally, snuggling up against him and laying her head on his chest so that she could hear his heartbeat, close to her and reassuringly steady. He lowered a hand to play absent-mindedly with her blazing hair, chucking to himself a little. She looked up at him curiously.

"What's so funny?"

"Ginny, if you only knew how many times I've dreamed about doing this very thing over the past year, you'd marvel that I managed to pass any of my courses."

She flushed and didn't say anything. The silence was comfortable and peaceful. Nothing needed to be said as they lay there simply, enjoying the beautiful day and each other's company.

Eventually the warmth of the day left them and the two pulled on an extra layer, not wanting to leave their special still place yet. With a mutter of something from Harry, blue flames hissed softly at their feet as Ginny sat between Harry's legs, leaning back on him as he whispered in her ear. She turned around to kiss him again, feeling his arms gently tighten around her.

After what felt like many hours by the lake, they stood up to make the loathed journey back to the castle to face the eyes of the others in the common room, who, surely by now must not be surprised, could even be relieve, in Hermione's case. They shared one more kiss before entering the common room together, to find it substantially more peaceful than before. A few whistles from Seamus rang out but they found themselves cuddled together on a couch with Hermione and Ron, watching the fire and whiling away the hours with barely a word spoken, but managing to say everything.


	3. The Battle

Chap3

The next few weeks seemed to fly away in a haze of revision for OWLs and Harry. Ginny was the happiest she had ever felt before and even the cloud of Voldemort that hung over her and Harry's heads could not shake the blissful and simple feeling of joy that threatened to burst from her chest these days. Harry was as happy as her, it seemed, and she was more relaxed around him now.

Sometimes she would catch him talking to Ron and Hermione by the fire in the common room in low, intense tones, a focused expression on her face and she knew he was banging on about his "Draco Malfoy Is A Death Eater" theory. Ginny personally didn't know what to believe. Given his family history, she wouldn't be surprised if he was, but at the same time Ginny really couldn't wrap her head around the idea that Voldemort would trust someone their age to be in his inner circle. She shuddered and returned back to the real world.

The days grew longer and longer and it was as the castle was breathing a sigh of relief as it shook the final traces of winter from itself. The grounds were splendid and she and Harry would take long walks through them on Sundays when the sun shone and everyone was relaxing in preparation for yet another hard week before the end-of-year exams. One such afternoon, she and Harry were back at their clearing beside the lake, and they had discussed all manner of things – the weather, her exams, her family, Quidditch – but they had never touched upon anything too serious, and Ginny had a feeling that he was skating over these topics to avoid anything that might provoke any feeling of worrying for him from Ginny.

And then it arrived: that night when everything changed. She, Ron, and Hermione had been lounging in the common room waiting for Harry to come back from his lesson with Dumbledore when he burst in looking wild and flushed. All three of them sat up immediately and waited for something from him. He hurriedly explained what was going on and procured the vial of Felix Felicis he had won on the first day of Potions earlier in the year. He left just after he arrived, and Ginny ran out of the portrait hole after him.

"Look, I don't know what you're about to go do, but I know that it's got to be dangerous, and if…if something happens…" She trailed off, unable to finish, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of the unspeakable: what if he never came back?

"Hey. It's okay. I'll be fine! Shh…" He pulled her to him, holding her tight to let go only too soon. Raising her head, he kissed her quickly but passionately, and then looked at her with the blazing, fierce expression she loved so much, and turned to walk away. She watched him until he was out of sight, then turned back to reenter the common room, letting one loud sob from her chest before calming herself and stepping back through the portrait hole.

Ron and Hermione sat together on the couch with grim expressions. Ginny joined them, and they sat together, watching the fire and letting the world move around them. The common room was filling up with students, and Ron had started pacing in circles, when Professor McGonagall burst in through the portrait hole.

"Students! It is my unfortunate and grave duty that I must inform you to the state of our school at this moment: we are under attack. The Death Eaters have somehow found a way into the school and at the moment we are doing our very best to defend ourselves and stop their advance and get rid of them. Students of age may join us in the fight if they wish. All other students are to remain in the dormitories which shall be locked with the strongest of spells from intrusion."

The room exploded. Hermione and Ron both made a rush for the door, Ginny closely following them. Ron turned to see Ginny there and instantly turned scarlet.

"No. Absolutely not."

"I'm going. I'm going and I'm fighting and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Ginny, I am your older brother and as the wiser, more mature one in the family I-"

"Oh, REALLY, RONALD? YOU'RE THE MATURE ONE? BIT RICH COMING FROM YOU, ISN'T IT? YOU GET INTO A HUFF EVERY TIME THE ROOM DOESN'T ABSOLUTELY DIE LAUGHING AT YOUR STUPID JOKES AND I AM PERFECTLY OLD ENOUGH TO MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT I AM DOING. I AM GOING TO FIGHT IN THIS AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU OR MUM CAN DO ABOUT IT."

Ron was now a spectacular shade of plum, while Hermione looked as if someone had just swallowed a canary. Ginny muscled her way out of the common room with the two of them close behind her, and ran down the corridor to an empty classroom.

"Right. We've got to think of a plan, and it had damn well better be a good one, because this is serious," said Hermione. "I've got the Felix so we should all take a sip of that, not too much, just to last until Harry and Dumbledore come back." A strange expression crossed her face, and Ginny knew she had just contemplated the impossible: what if Harry and Dumbledore _didn't _come back? She straightened her expression, gulped, and handed the potion around to them. The each took a sip and then stood there silently, not knowing what to do. Finally, Ron stood. Turning to face both girls, he gestured to the door and left.

They walked downstairs, taking shortcuts and back routes until they were on one of the corridors overlooking the courtyard. Chaos reigned: spells were flying in every direction, lighting up the corridor in a sick sort of fireworks display, the statues had fallen on their sides, a few injured wizards – Ginny couldn't tell if they were good or bad – lay to the side, untended while their allies continued to sent their curses across the open space through the dark air at each other. The Order had evidently arrived, Ginny recognized several faces from Grimmauld Place fighting the hooded figures that seemed to be everywhere, there must be hundreds of them, she thought, but she knew that there couldn't possibly be that many, Hogwarts was supposed to be safe from this sort of thing, this couldn't really be happening.

Hermione and Ron snapped into action, sending jinxes and hexes from above at the cloaked men below them. The Death Eaters below them twigged onto this and soon they were fleeing from the rain of curses that fell all around them, each one missing them by inches –

They ran faster than they ever had before, finding themselves in a totally different part of the castle in what seemed like no time at all. Realizing that they had completely lost track of where they were, the three of them doubled back, only to run into Neville and Luna, wands out, looking terrified. They all turned to run down yet another corridor, one that would lead them to the Great Hall. But before they could get there, two bulky figures appeared in the hallway in front of them.

"_Crucio!_"

The curse soared by them, and Ginny responded instantly with hexes of her own. The Death Eater responded with a barrage of spells which she had to dodge wildly, and fought back best she could but he was the better wizard – and then came the thing she had been waiting for all night, Harry was here.

"_Impedimenta!_" Amycus flew into a wall, Ginny turned to face Harry, but as soon he arrived, he was gone. The fight pressed on, the fight now flying by as she rejoiced in the one small blessing of the night: _Harry was alive_.

The injured, the dying, the fighters in their combat all blurred together until Ginny found herself outside under the ink-black sky so sickeningly slashed with the emerald skull far above them. She pushed her way to the front of the growing crowd to find Ron and Hermione, and then felt her stomach plummet.

There, under the canopy of the stars, lay the great Albus Dumbledore, still and pale. Crouched beside the motionless figure was Harry, shaking with grief and anger. Ginny felt the hot tears burning down her face as she watched the world change before her very eyes. It was all going to be different now, she thought, as she walked forward to take Harry's hand and lead him to the hospital wing.


End file.
